An unofficial delegation of European Union Parliamentarians (MEPs) visited Jammu & Kashmir on Wednesday in order to assess the situation in the state. They have asserted that the situation in the state is an internal matter of India and they will not be submitting any report to the European Union.
During a press briefing, the EU MPs also slammed Asaduddin Owaisi’s remark where he claimed that they were Nazi lovers. “We are not Nazi lovers. If we were, we would have not been elected. We are very angry at being called Nazi lovers,” one of them said. Asaduddin Owaisi had made the allegation through a tweet on Tuesday.
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The delegation also asserted that terrorism was Kashmir’s biggest concern and they stand with India in this fight. They also condemned the murder of migrant labourers in the state. “If we talk about Article 370 it is India’s internal matter. What concerns us is terrorism which is a global menace and we should stand with India in fighting it. There was an unfortunate incident of killing of five innocent labourers by terrorists. We condemn it,” said Henri Malosse from France.
Malosse also asserted that Kashmir has the potential to become one of the most dynamic regions of the country. He also said that Kashmir, despite receiving numerous subsidies, had remained backwards due to the prevailing circumstances. He said that now there is hope and the infrastructure and other facilities have to be improved.
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Thierry Mariani, also from France, told reporters that he was not here to interfere in India’s internal matters but to receive some first-hand knowledge about the situation in Kashmir. He, too, asserted that India deserves support in its fight against terrorism. “Terrorists can destroy a country. I have been to Afghanistan and Syria and I have seen what terrorism has done. We stand with India in its fight against terrorism,” he said. Addressing media reports and the comment from Owaisi where they were called fascists, he said, “By calling us fascists, our image has been tarnished. It’s better that one should know about us properly before tarnishing our image.”
Newton Dunn from the United Kingdom described the visit as an “eye-opener” and asserted that he will advocate what he saw at “ground zero”. He also emphasized that there’s a need to stand by India in its fight against global terrorism. “We belong to a place Europe which is peaceful after years of fighting. And we want to see India becoming the most peaceful country in the world. And for that, we need to stand by India in its fight against global terrorism. This visit has been an eye-opener and we would definitely advocate what we have seen on ground zero,” he told reporters.
An MEP from Poland, Ryszard Czarnecki, highlighted the biased coverage of the international media. He said, “The international media coverage seems biased. Once we go back to our countries we will inform them of what we saw.” Nicolaus Fest, another MEP, said that if the government permits MEPs to enter the state, then it should also allow opposition leaders from India to visit it. He said that there was ‘some kind of disbalance’ which the government should address.